Papillon (dog)

The Papillon (French pronunciation: ​[papijɔ̃], "butterfly[-eared]"), also called the Continental Toy Spaniel, is a breed of dog of the Spaniel type.^[1] The Papillon is one of the oldest of the toy spaniels. Its name comes from its butterfly-like look of the fringed hair on the ears. The dog is alert and friendly with people and other dogs.^[2] The Papillon is a very active dog.^[3] It is also easy to train.^[3]

Papillon

History

The Papillon's ancestors can be seen in many 16th century paintings by Old Masters.^[1] The earliest pictures containing these toy spaniels are by Tiziano Vecellio.^[4] The earliest Continental Toy Spaniels had drooping ears.^[1] Near the end of the 19th century the erect butterfly-like ears became popular.^[1] They began to call these dogs Papillons.^[1] From that time on the dog was available in two nearly identical breeds.^[5] The Papillon with its erect butterfly-like ears and the Phalène with its moth-like drop ears.^[5] In 1915 the Papillon breed was recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC).^[6]